CVE-2021-27878
Veritas Backup Exec Agent Command Execution Vulnerability
This vulnerability is in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: attackers are using it. If you run Backup Exec Agent, fix it now.
CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal civilian agencies must remediate by Apr 28, 2023.
Patch status
No official fix confirmed yet
Until a fix ships, follow the vendor's mitigations and CISA's required action, limit exposure of affected systems, and watch this record for a patch.
Description
An issue was discovered in Veritas Backup Exec before 21.2. The communication between a client and an Agent requires successful authentication, which is typically completed over a secure TLS communication. However, due to a vulnerability in the SHA Authentication scheme, an attacker is able to gain unauthorized access and complete the authentication process. Subsequently, the client can execute data management protocol commands on the authenticated connection. The attacker could use one of these commands to execute an arbitrary command on the system using system privileges.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database. Official vulnerability data, reproduced as published.
Affected products
| Product | Vendor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Backup Exec Agent | Veritas | KEV |
Sources: KEV = CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Version details have not been published yet.
Intelligence timeline
Developments from the last 30 days, newest first.
- CVSS scoredUpdateKEV
CVE-2021-27878 scored CVSS 8.8: Veritas Backup Exec Agent, Veritas Backup Exec Agent Command Execution Vulnerability
CISA lists this as exploited in the wild and known to be used in ransomware campaigns. Unpatched Backup Exec Agent systems are exposed to active attacks now.
Basis: NIST National Vulnerability Database
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Coverage
We have not published a story about this vulnerability yet.